


Perfect Illusion

by asroarke



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: 604 spec, Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Infidelity, Pining, Season/Series 06 Spoilers, he just thinks she's flirty now, just a dead girl possessing the love of bellamy's life and he has no idea, post 6x03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 17:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18855901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asroarke/pseuds/asroarke
Summary: It feels flirty, but he knows that’s not what this is. Maybe it’s something she drank or Miller’s taunts getting into his head. After all, Clarke knows about Echo. And she knows that Echo is just twenty feet away. And then, there’s all the stuff Clarke doesn’t know like that it nearly killed him to leave her behind and he still hasn’t recovered. So, Bellamy feels pretty confident that Clarke isn’t trying to flirt with him.But he can’t help but look as she leans back against the counter, pressing her chest out ever so slightly. She keeps running her fingers through her hair, tugging at a curl right behind her ear. And then, there are those eyes. Piercing blue and unmoving. Not averting her gaze like she usually does when he catches her looking at him.Bellamy is the one to break eye contact. “Are you okay?” he asks. This makes her stiffen up. Her bold eyes narrow at him and her lips purse.A post 6x03 spec fic where Clarke becomes the host for Josephine Lightbourne, and Bellamy figures it out a little too late.





	Perfect Illusion

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [ this text post. ](https://clarkgriffon.tumblr.com/post/184922772892/no-offense-but-what-was-the-point-of-establishing)
> 
> Be gentle on me guys. I never write canonverse, but this was too darn tempting. Basically, a spec fic based on the theory that they're gonna make Clarke the host for Josephine Lightbourne.

He just needs a drink. Whatever Delilah gives him burns a little on the way down, but it’s been more than a century since he had his last drink so what did he expect?

Clarke slides into the seat beside him. Not saying a word, but there is a huge smile on her lips. He isn’t sure he’s ever seen her smile like that. So relaxed and without a care in the world. Don’t get him wrong, he’s happy to see her like this, but it’s weird seeing her so happy when all her friends were still so angry with her. Especially Raven who made that abundantly clear at every turn.

Maybe Bellamy is just jealous that her happiness is coming so easily. Leaving Octavia behind still lingers in his mind, tainting the relief and joy that he should be drowning in with a loss that he should have been ready for.

“Where’d you run off to last night?” he asks.

Clarke blinks a few times before glancing at him. Her eyes rake over him with interest. If she were anyone else, he’d think she was checking him out. The corners of her mouth tilt up and she turns around in her seat to face him, crossing her legs and leaning against the bar.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she grins while pushing her golden hair behind her ear.

It feels flirty, but he knows that’s not what this is. Maybe it’s something she drank or Miller’s taunts getting into his head. After all, Clarke knows about Echo. And she knows that Echo is just twenty feet away. And then, there’s all the stuff Clarke doesn’t know like that it nearly killed him to leave her behind and he still hasn’t recovered. So, Bellamy feels pretty confident that Clarke isn’t trying to flirt with him.

But he can’t help but look as she leans back against the counter, pressing her chest out ever so slightly. She keeps running her fingers through her hair, tugging at a curl right behind her ear. And then, there are those eyes. Piercing blue and unmoving. Not averting her gaze like she usually does when he catches her looking at him.

Bellamy is the one to break eye contact. “Are you okay?” he asks. This makes her stiffen up. Her bold eyes narrow at him and her lips purse.

“Of course,” she replies. But her tone is annoyed. Clarke gives him another once over before pushing herself up from the stool and heading toward the stairs.

Bellamy scans the room, looking for anyone who might have also noticed Clarke is acting strange. But no one seems to be paying attention.

It’s probably nothing, he reasons. But if what Murphy said about her during the eclipse is true, and there’s a heartbroken part of him that knows it is, Bellamy can’t Clarke go off alone while acting weird. So, he shoots back the rest of his drink and follows her.

Clarke is leaning over the railing, looking out over Sanctum. As he steps toward her, she briefly glances back at him before looking away, a smirk on her lips. “Miss me already?”

Bellamy braces his hands on the railing and looks at her. Nothing else seems off with Clarke. She looks the same as always, except with a bandage on her hand and the marks Bellamy left on her throat. Just looking at her neck makes his heart ache.

He shakes those thoughts away for now, focusing on the issue at hand. “I know this has been a hard few days for you and—”

The words die in his throat when Clarke puts her palm against his chest and looks up at him. “I’m okay,” she whispers with a sincerity that makes it easier for him to breathe. “How are you?”

He blinks a few times and stares at her. How long has it been since everything slowed down enough for them to have a real conversation like this? No more end of the world or fighting for survival. Just Bellamy checking up on Clarke and Clarke checking up on Bellamy. After everything they’ve been through, he hasn’t been sure if they could ever get back to this. But here they are.

So, he’s honest with her.  Bellamy opens up about how hard it was to leave Octavia outside the shield. All the doubts that flooded his mind as soon as he pulled the lever. The way he’s still wavering over whether he did the right thing or not. How did he forget how easy it is to talk to her?

And Clarke listens. Nodding sweetly as he speaks. Reassuring him by gently stroking his arm and reaching for his hand. He shouldn’t take so much comfort in her touch. But he does. It’s a feeling he craved constantly up on the Ring. Just the graze of her warm skin to soothe away some of his pain.

It’s hard to ignore how much he still loves her in the slow moments like this. The feeling was easy enough to push away when they were focused on opening up the bunker, dealing with Octavia, or trying to get everyone to the ship. But they are in Sanctum now. Alive and happy with nothing to distract from the inevitable truth that he never stopped loving Clarke Griffin.

Now that the world has finally slowed down, Bellamy has to face that.

Her fingers slide up to the collar of his shirt, rubbing slow circles just below the clavicle. Bellamy’s eyes fall shut as he savors the feeling. It’s innocent, really. Just enjoying her touch. Slowly, he begins to feel her fingertips graze his neck, so gentle and careful. A quiet hum falls off his lips when they reach his jaw.

“Clarke,” he warns, but he doesn’t resist as she pulls him down. No, he sighs happily as he feels her fingers dig into his hair. Doesn’t even move when her lips press against his. His arms act of their own accord as they wrap around Clarke’s waist.

She feels so good in his arms. Warm and soft. Her lips pliant against his. They taste sweet, like the concoction Delilah gave him.

 _Finally_ , his mind keeps screaming. Years and years of longing for what could have been, and now, he has her. The brave princess who made his life hell back at the Dropship. His partner. His best friend. Half his heart. Bellamy’s body buzzes with excitement and love and want all at once. His mind is so flooded with overwhelming thoughts that he can’t focus on a single one.

At least, he can’t until he remembers Echo.

Bellamy pushes her off him in a panic. How did he forget Echo? He woke up with her just this morning. Bellamy grips the railing again, forcing himself to take a deep breath before he works himself into a panic attack.

He isn’t thinking clearly. He got so comfortable with Clarke that he forgot this wasn’t six years ago. Bellamy had moved on. And while he clearly has things that need to be worked out where Clarke is concerned, he can’t do any of that while he is still hanging onto Echo. And Clarke knows that.

… or she should.

His eyes flash up to meet hers. Her brows are furrowed and she’s studying him as if she doesn’t get why he just pushed her away. “We can’t,” he tells her, and she just cocks her head to the side.

He waits for her rattled reaction. Remorse, something. After all, Clarke Griffin drowns in guilt. But she just studies him with a blank stare, like a scientist trying to figure out why her experiment didn’t work.

“Clarke?” Bellamy looks past her to see Russell and two guards climbing up the stairs to meet them. But Clarke doesn’t look back at them, she just keeps eyeing Bellamy curiously. Like she conveniently forgot he’s with Echo or something. “Clarke,” Russell repeats, this time with more urgency.

It takes a beat too long, but Clarke reacts this time. Her posture straightens and she turns to face him with a smile.

Russell looks odd too, his eyes jumping back and forth between the two of them. “You were supposed to meet me and your—”

“I got distracted,” she cuts him off, her tone a bit snippy. Less like how she should talk as a diplomat and more like how she snaps at her mom. “I was just talking with…”

If he hadn’t been studying her so closely, he would have missed it. Probably would have written it off as Clarke being rattled or tired. But there is no mistaking what he saw.

Clarke has no idea what his name is. There’s no recognition behind her eyes when she looks over at him, just a look of sheer panic when she gets to the end of her sentence and can’t finish it.

“Bellamy,” Russell finishes for her.

“Bellamy,” Clarke replies without missing a beat, grinning victoriously. “Anyway, sorry to cut this short, but I’ve got to—”

He pulls her back as soon as she tries to leave and forces her to turn around so he can face her. She tries to jerk away but he grips her face between his hands so he can really look at her.

It’s not her. She looks and feels like Clarke. Her touch still burns as beautifully. Her voice still makes his heart stutter. But there is something behind her eyes that isn’t quite right. It reminds him of how Raven and Abby seemed when ALIE took them over. Cold, calculating, without recognition.

“Who are you?” he whispers to her. Her eyes flicker over to Russell, and Bellamy clenches his jaw as he follows her gaze. His heart pounds. His stomach flips. He knows he can’t choke this man without his guards killing Bellamy first, though it sounds so tempting. But if Clarke were here, she would be reminding him to use his head.

So, instead he growls, “What did you do to her?”

**Author's Note:**

> Come hit me up on tumblr or twitter. I'm asroarke there too. And as always, comments and kudos are always appreciated.


End file.
